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What does the dramatic rise of the TikTok “Content House” mean for architecture and domesticity?

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<p>What does the dramatic rise of the TikTok “Content House” mean for architecture and domesticity?</p>

The year 2020 will always be remembered as a fundamentally transformative year. Exactly how permanent the rapidly adopted new patterns of work and domestic life will prove to be is difficult to gauge, but a return to old norms currently seems unlikely. Digital communication, already the structural core of our everyday lives in the pre-pandemic world, has become for some the primary form of social and professional interaction. Our new “distributed” working lives have fractured the head office across a thousand sofas, spare bedrooms, and kitchen tables.

<p>The year 2020 will always be remembered as a fundamentally transformative year. Exactly how permanent the rapidly adopted new patterns of work and domestic life will prove to be is difficult to gauge, but a return to old norms currently seems unlikely. Digital communication, already the structural core of our everyday lives in the pre-pandemic world, has become for some the primary form of social and professional interaction. Our new “distributed” working lives have fractured the head office across a thousand sofas, spare bedrooms, and kitchen tables.</p>

At the same time, for a generation of content creators rapidly professionalizing across Twitch streams, YouTube videos, and Discord servers, home has become the stage, studio, and media distribution center, and the definition of what a house is for has suddenly become hotly contested.

<p>At the same time, for a generation of content creators rapidly professionalizing across Twitch streams, YouTube videos, and Discord servers, home has become the stage, studio, and media distribution center, and the definition of what a house is for has suddenly become hotly contested.</p>

Our recent societal-wide, cultural beta-test has provided conditions where radical ideas can quickly become future norms, and so the recent explosion in popularity of TikTok, its “content houses,” and their occupants might require deeper consideration.

<p>Our recent societal-wide, cultural beta-test has provided conditions where radical ideas can quickly become future norms, and so the recent explosion in popularity of TikTok, its “content houses,” and their occupants might require deeper consideration.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">COTTAGE INDUSTRY</h3>


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Squeezing into the gap between the community focus of YouTube and Instagram’s <em>fomo-as-a-service</em> model, TikTok is precision-engineered around the experience of the contemporary teenager, driven by a directly social and distinctly granular form of creative production. While Instagram, for instance, appears to encourage an increasingly absurdist (and toxic) projection of “<em>how I live</em>,” TikTok’s central rubrik is more akin to “<em>what it’s like to be alive</em>.” This comes with associated slapstick, with the audience in on the joke, connected through a focus on content discovery rather than network formation. During the quagmire that was 2020, TikTok emerged as the perfect production tool and delivery method for the internet’s endless appetite for prison humor. No wonder Instagram has already ingested most of TikTok’s core principles into its newest “Reels” feature.

<p>Squeezing into the gap between the community focus of YouTube and Instagram’s <em>fomo-as-a-service</em> model, TikTok is precision-engineered around the experience of the contemporary teenager, driven by a directly social and distinctly granular form of creative production. While Instagram, for instance, appears to encourage an increasingly absurdist (and toxic) projection of “<em>how I live</em>,” TikTok’s central rubrik is more akin to “<em>what it’s like to be alive</em>.” This comes with associated slapstick, with the audience in on the joke, connected through a focus on content discovery rather than network formation. During the quagmire that was 2020, TikTok emerged as the perfect production tool and delivery method for the internet’s endless appetite for prison humor. No wonder Instagram has already ingested most of TikTok’s core principles into its newest “Reels” feature.</p>

On the surface, the content house is a relatively straightforward phenomenon. Crews of wildly popular influencers or ambitious hopefuls decide to live together to boost their platform, their brand, and their merch sales, in tandem with the growth of TikTok. With the most notorious of these houses garnering a massive online presence, the recent domestic turn saw a spate of entrepreneurial talent management agencies leap on the trend, and by the end of 2020 as many as 30 content houses were clamoring for attention. These locations—the headquarters of various social media crews and influencers—serve as a large stage set for life as performance, micro-cosmic gossip generators, and workshop studios for the most digitally prominent and their arsenal of pranks, make-up tutorials, lip-syncing, dancing, gaming, and self-development challenges.

<p>On the surface, the content house is a relatively straightforward phenomenon. Crews of wildly popular influencers or ambitious hopefuls decide to live together to boost their platform, their brand, and their merch sales, in tandem with the growth of TikTok. With the most notorious of these houses garnering a massive online presence, the recent domestic turn saw a spate of entrepreneurial talent management agencies leap on the trend, and by the end of 2020 as many as 30 content houses were clamoring for attention. These locations—the headquarters of various social media crews and influencers—serve as a large stage set for life as performance, micro-cosmic gossip generators, and workshop studios for the most digitally prominent and their arsenal of pranks, make-up tutorials, lip-syncing, dancing, gaming, and self-development challenges.</p>

According to “<a href="https://www.kapwing.com/resources/tiktok-houses-list/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Internet’s most complete list of TikTok houses</a>,” there are currently 36 notable projects at the time of writing, although they are fluid by nature, decaying as rapidly as the bloom.

<p>According to “<a href="https://www.kapwing.com/resources/tiktok-houses-list/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Internet’s most complete list of TikTok houses</a>,” there are currently 36 notable projects at the time of writing, although they are fluid by nature, decaying as rapidly as the bloom.</p>

Although the most successful influencers and content houses certainly have extensive fan bases, the benefits of shared “living” are obvious. The most simple explanation is, of course, that coliving is productive, providing a framework for groups of friends—but more often friendly collaborators—to build visibility. It’s the razzle-dazzle of an ensemble cast, situational comedy, and a chorus combined. Thanks to the encroachment of everyday life and co-living into this arrangement, the audience is also party to real world drama, albeit fragmented across channels.

<p>Although the most successful influencers and content houses certainly have extensive fan bases, the benefits of shared “living” are obvious. The most simple explanation is, of course, that coliving is productive, providing a framework for groups of friends—but more often friendly collaborators—to build visibility. It’s the razzle-dazzle of an ensemble cast, situational comedy, and a chorus combined. Thanks to the encroachment of everyday life and co-living into this arrangement, the audience is also party to real world drama, albeit fragmented across channels.</p>

As we live through the unique moment where people of all ages are returning to their bedrooms as the interface for much of social and professional life, content houses are a pivotal illustration of how platform engagement, mitigated through the domestic space, may be reconfiguring how we spend our time. Socializing becomes a performance in surfing the economies of attention and real estate. Or as the slogan of <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tooturnttony?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TooTurntTony</a>, a producer of frequently viral TikToks, puts it: “<em>Livin’ for a Livin</em>.”

<p>As we live through the unique moment where people of all ages are returning to their bedrooms as the interface for much of social and professional life, content houses are a pivotal illustration of how platform engagement, mitigated through the domestic space, may be reconfiguring how we spend our time. Socializing becomes a performance in surfing the economies of attention and real estate. Or as the slogan of <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tooturnttony?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TooTurntTony</a>, a producer of frequently viral TikToks, puts it: “<em>Livin’ for a Livin</em>.”</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">IN EVERY CONTENT HOUSE A HEARTACHE</h3>


<h3>IN EVERY CONTENT HOUSE A HEARTACHE</h3>

The content house might be the most vivid picture of a domestic future at a time when surveys tell us that 50 percent of Gen Z use their smartphones for five hours a day or more.

<p>The content house might be the most vivid picture of a domestic future at a time when surveys tell us that 50 percent of Gen Z use their smartphones for five hours a day or more.</p>

Content houses dispense with certain core components associated with domestic life: privacy, family, tranquility, and stability. The successful content house is a tangle of frictions, collisions, and exuberance. It is, of course, impossible to know how “real” the drama forged in these content houses is, but narrative threads can coexist between the channels of its members, existing beyond any definite direction.

<p>Content houses dispense with certain core components associated with domestic life: privacy, family, tranquility, and stability. The successful content house is a tangle of frictions, collisions, and exuberance. It is, of course, impossible to know how “real” the drama forged in these content houses is, but narrative threads can coexist between the channels of its members, existing beyond any definite direction.</p>

Where most latter-day reality TV has gradually succumbed to its own “kayfabe” (the suspension of disbelief demanded by professional wrestling—see the increasingly staged meta-fiction of <em>Jersey Shore or Made In Chelsea</em>), the intense emotional availability of many content houses appears to be authentic at least insofar as it is raw, unconstrained, and at the very least unregulated by a showrunner.

<p>Where most latter-day reality TV has gradually succumbed to its own “kayfabe” (the suspension of disbelief demanded by professional wrestling—see the increasingly staged meta-fiction of <em>Jersey Shore or Made In Chelsea</em>), the intense emotional availability of many content houses appears to be authentic at least insofar as it is raw, unconstrained, and at the very least unregulated by a showrunner.</p>

Many of today’s most successful “content creators” find initial success in their bedrooms by default, often alongside similarly popular siblings and parental cameos. The content house represents the transition of adolescence bedroom-based content production into the coming-of-age rumspringa of co-living. The studio gives way to the garden, the bedroom, the garage, or the car.

<p>Many of today’s most successful “content creators” find initial success in their bedrooms by default, often alongside similarly popular siblings and parental cameos. The content house represents the transition of adolescence bedroom-based content production into the coming-of-age rumspringa of co-living. The studio gives way to the garden, the bedroom, the garage, or the car.</p>

Despite its emergence through social media, the content house’s most obvious ancestor is possibly reality TV. While the content house orbits around a physical location, it also denotes a period of time, documented and developed much like a TV series. New members are “cast,” content is developed in “seasons,” there are regular micro-show formats built to develop specific brand and advertising arcs. A content house might stream content for far longer stretches than a movie or series, often running uninterrupted for hours or even days. However, the main event, of course, is the near continuous output of brutally short clips for TikTok. While Andy Warhol proposed that we might each get fifteen minutes of fame, the average length of a clip in TikTok’s most played Top 100 lasts fifteen seconds.

<p>Despite its emergence through social media, the content house’s most obvious ancestor is possibly reality TV. While the content house orbits around a physical location, it also denotes a period of time, documented and developed much like a TV series. New members are “cast,” content is developed in “seasons,” there are regular micro-show formats built to develop specific brand and advertising arcs. A content house might stream content for far longer stretches than a movie or series, often running uninterrupted for hours or even days. However, the main event, of course, is the near continuous output of brutally short clips for TikTok. While Andy Warhol proposed that we might each get fifteen minutes of fame, the average length of a clip in TikTok’s most played Top 100 lasts fifteen seconds.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">THE DRAMATIC RISE OF TIKTOK</h3>


Once the internet’s premier tool for making short-form videos, Vine preceded the spectacular success of TikTok. When Vine launched in 2013, its major content “innovation” was that its videos were limited to six seconds and looped automatically, giving it a strange hyperactive quality that encouraged its users to experiment with the form. Vine was wildly popular for a short window of time, turning several of its most prominent users into internet celebrities. By 2015, six of the Top 10 most followed Vine users lived in various apartments at 1600 Vine, a luxury compound in Hollywood, where they frequently collaborated. The building became a hotspot for budding influencers and was profiled in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/business/hollywood-apartment-social-media.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New York Times</a>, which noted the curious overlap between platform stardom and geographic proximity.

<p>Once the internet’s premier tool for making short-form videos, Vine preceded the spectacular success of TikTok. When Vine launched in 2013, its major content “innovation” was that its videos were limited to six seconds and looped automatically, giving it a strange hyperactive quality that encouraged its users to experiment with the form. Vine was wildly popular for a short window of time, turning several of its most prominent users into internet celebrities. By 2015, six of the Top 10 most followed Vine users lived in various apartments at 1600 Vine, a luxury compound in Hollywood, where they frequently collaborated. The building became a hotspot for budding influencers and was profiled in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/business/hollywood-apartment-social-media.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New York Times</a>, which noted the curious overlap between platform stardom and geographic proximity.</p>

However, the Vine platform was slowly dying. The core six-second gimmick was becoming stale, and the platform managed by Twitter was being swamped with abusive comments. The conference room at 1600 Vine was a natural location for a meeting arranged by top tier Vine makers, in which they put forward a rescue strategy directly to its executives. They proposed a number of changes to Vine’s function and management, not least to provide a more viable mechanism for reunermating those generating the content (allegedly requesting $1.2 million each for the production of twelve videos a month). Its most celebrated creators, carefully tracking their own analytics, were keenly aware of rapidly declining “impression” rates and were getting spooked. The deal was rejected, however, and many of the creators left the platform to focus on YouTube, Instagram, and the explosive popularity of Snapchat. By January 2017, Vine would be completely shut down.

<p>However, the Vine platform was slowly dying. The core six-second gimmick was becoming stale, and the platform managed by Twitter was being swamped with abusive comments. The conference room at 1600 Vine was a natural location for a meeting arranged by top tier Vine makers, in which they put forward a rescue strategy directly to its executives. They proposed a number of changes to Vine’s function and management, not least to provide a more viable mechanism for reunermating those generating the content (allegedly requesting $1.2 million each for the production of twelve videos a month). Its most celebrated creators, carefully tracking their own analytics, were keenly aware of rapidly declining “impression” rates and were getting spooked. The deal was rejected, however, and many of the creators left the platform to focus on YouTube, Instagram, and the explosive popularity of Snapchat. By January 2017, Vine would be completely shut down.</p>

Meanwhile, Beijing-based ByteDance would launch Douyin across China, and in less than 18 months the app would have 100 million users. After merging its purchase of the lip-syncing app Musical.ly, it would be released internationally in 2017 as TikTok. The app would cement itself on the home screens of the American teenager, claiming a space in the crowded and already mature landscape of social media by spending a billion dollars a year on advertising after its international launch. TikTok is at least partially the platform that the participants of the meeting were imploring Vine to become.

<p>Meanwhile, Beijing-based ByteDance would launch Douyin across China, and in less than 18 months the app would have 100 million users. After merging its purchase of the lip-syncing app Musical.ly, it would be released internationally in 2017 as TikTok. The app would cement itself on the home screens of the American teenager, claiming a space in the crowded and already mature landscape of social media by spending a billion dollars a year on advertising after its international launch. TikTok is at least partially the platform that the participants of the meeting were imploring Vine to become.</p>

The 2019 US government-imposed takeover of the platform demonstrates how quickly a social network can transform into critical communications infrastructure, supported by Silicon Valley’s cultural unease with a Chinese social platform having such dominance in the US market—apparently requiring more decisive action than the application of the ‘Made in China” label. As a platform it also stands out, even in the rogue’s gallery of social media companies and their dubious data practices. Its algorithm and data collection techniques are highly opaque, and critical technologists regularly express concern about what might be going on under the hood. While TikTok’s emergence as a political football is instructive, the cultural significance of the platform shouldn’t be obscured by the geopolitical tangle of its conception or codebase, and these concerns don’t appear to faze the millions of teenagers fluent in the platform.

<p>The 2019 US government-imposed takeover of the platform demonstrates how quickly a social network can transform into critical communications infrastructure, supported by Silicon Valley’s cultural unease with a Chinese social platform having such dominance in the US market—apparently requiring more decisive action than the application of the ‘Made in China” label. As a platform it also stands out, even in the rogue’s gallery of social media companies and their dubious data practices. Its algorithm and data collection techniques are highly opaque, and critical technologists regularly express concern about what might be going on under the hood. While TikTok’s emergence as a political football is instructive, the cultural significance of the platform shouldn’t be obscured by the geopolitical tangle of its conception or codebase, and these concerns don’t appear to faze the millions of teenagers fluent in the platform.</p>

TikTok is not exactly shy about its management of attention. It has chiseled down the most intense, clingy aspects of behavioral design into weapons-grade addiction fodder. Part of TikTok’s appeal is that it takes the long tail of other online content, sound, and video, and encourages users to refine such fragments into the most seductive, instantaneously dissolvable digital pulses.

<p>TikTok is not exactly shy about its management of attention. It has chiseled down the most intense, clingy aspects of behavioral design into weapons-grade addiction fodder. Part of TikTok’s appeal is that it takes the long tail of other online content, sound, and video, and encourages users to refine such fragments into the most seductive, instantaneously dissolvable digital pulses.</p>

Through its design, appearance, location, and facilities, for some the home is becoming an appendage of platform interactivity. While it might be tempting to lean on sci-fi cliches, dazzling interfaces, or the zombie-like persistence of smart home fantasies as the key symbols of this version of domestic life, the house in the “house-as-platform-interface” model is moving in a different direction. A few dashes of vivid RGB LEDs aside, the layers of hyper-reality we encounter in the networked house are in image filters, face masks, and the distortions of music and slow motion camera prank footage rather than being set into physical architectural detailing.

<p>Through its design, appearance, location, and facilities, for some the home is becoming an appendage of platform interactivity. While it might be tempting to lean on sci-fi cliches, dazzling interfaces, or the zombie-like persistence of smart home fantasies as the key symbols of this version of domestic life, the house in the “house-as-platform-interface” model is moving in a different direction. A few dashes of vivid RGB LEDs aside, the layers of hyper-reality we encounter in the networked house are in image filters, face masks, and the distortions of music and slow motion camera prank footage rather than being set into physical architectural detailing.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">TEENAGE STREAMS</h3>


Over the last decade, teenagers realized they could directly market themselves without any complexity or baggage, and literally control the interests of intermediary media companies, agents, and record labels. They could talk directly to the camera, they could “be themselves” and build an audience. Achieving global fame as an actual teenager would ordinarily have some degree of dependency on the songs, words, or sports training from “the adults.” Today, teenage life can be sufficiently vivid on its own self-recorded terms to attract the attention of a generation of hyper-connected peers—and it’s also lucrative.

<p>Over the last decade, teenagers realized they could directly market themselves without any complexity or baggage, and literally control the interests of intermediary media companies, agents, and record labels. They could talk directly to the camera, they could “be themselves” and build an audience. Achieving global fame as an actual teenager would ordinarily have some degree of dependency on the songs, words, or sports training from “the adults.” Today, teenage life can be sufficiently vivid on its own self-recorded terms to attract the attention of a generation of hyper-connected peers—and it’s also lucrative.</p>

It’s noteworthy that while the ability to build an audience may be “organic,” the decision to conglomerate into a content house is far more strategic, often led in partnership with social media agencies and media management (in the case of Rhianna’s “Fenty House”) and directly under the coordination of an international brand. While at face value these names describe a physical location, they are, more accurately, attempts to build dynasties in the spirit of the Houses of Tudor, Lannister, or Kappa Kappa Gamma. They’re a distant cousin of the infamous “brogrammer” codeshops of Silicon Valley.

<p>It’s noteworthy that while the ability to build an audience may be “organic,” the decision to conglomerate into a content house is far more strategic, often led in partnership with social media agencies and media management (in the case of Rhianna’s “Fenty House”) and directly under the coordination of an international brand. While at face value these names describe a physical location, they are, more accurately, attempts to build dynasties in the spirit of the Houses of Tudor, Lannister, or Kappa Kappa Gamma. They’re a distant cousin of the infamous “brogrammer” codeshops of Silicon Valley.</p>

While the houses themselves feature as a backdrop rather than a character, the relationship to the actual building is perfunctory. Content houses appear to be almost universally rentals, leaning towards plain contemporary interior design that won’t accidentally overshadow its inhabitants. Despite the implication of dozens of young people sharing a house, the spaces appear meticulously clean and sometimes almost empty. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/style/hype-house-los-angeles-tik-tok.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discovered</a>, the lack of furniture is useful to make continually filming content all the easier. White walls happily provide better bounce lighting.

<p>While the houses themselves feature as a backdrop rather than a character, the relationship to the actual building is perfunctory. Content houses appear to be almost universally rentals, leaning towards plain contemporary interior design that won’t accidentally overshadow its inhabitants. Despite the implication of dozens of young people sharing a house, the spaces appear meticulously clean and sometimes almost empty. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/style/hype-house-los-angeles-tik-tok.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discovered</a>, the lack of furniture is useful to make continually filming content all the easier. White walls happily provide better bounce lighting.</p>

The house must of course be introduced with a new tour video. A frequent trope is the uncertainty about what’s actually there, perhaps the discovery of a new room or kitchen appliance. The most obvious furniture is often actually the means of virtual production, film editing locations, camera storage, lighting rigs, gaming chairs, and streaming set-ups.

<p>The house must of course be introduced with a new tour video. A frequent trope is the uncertainty about what’s actually there, perhaps the discovery of a new room or kitchen appliance. The most obvious furniture is often actually the means of virtual production, film editing locations, camera storage, lighting rigs, gaming chairs, and streaming set-ups.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-large"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/bd2b5136f239584b4a43b3917813667f-1024x575.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3107"/><figcaption>IKEA launches an esports furniture collection to “democratize the gaming experience.” Image courtesy of IKEA</figcaption></figure>


Not everyone is a full-time resident. In fact, residency itself is more a political denomination than a geographic, but the governance of the house appears to be relatively consistent and mirrors the archetypal structures found across entertainment. There are usually one or two founders of the house that float somewhere between svengali, management, booking agent, and participant.

<p>Not everyone is a full-time resident. In fact, residency itself is more a political denomination than a geographic, but the governance of the house appears to be relatively consistent and mirrors the archetypal structures found across entertainment. There are usually one or two founders of the house that float somewhere between svengali, management, booking agent, and participant.</p>

With respect to the actual output of the content house, the work of artists Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch has been maniacally prescient. The ultra psychodramas of smushed frat houses and party palaces that they have depicted in their videos and exhibitions prefiguring the rampant energy of content culture leaps to mind when watching clips of Jerma985’s recent three-day Twitch streaming event <em>The Dollhouse</em>. It’s a generation of video makers and content producers drinking from the same Mountain Dew fountain of post-commercialized early internet voyeurisms such as MTV Cribs.

<p>With respect to the actual output of the content house, the work of artists Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch has been maniacally prescient. The ultra psychodramas of smushed frat houses and party palaces that they have depicted in their videos and exhibitions prefiguring the rampant energy of content culture leaps to mind when watching clips of Jerma985’s recent three-day Twitch streaming event <em>The Dollhouse</em>. It’s a generation of video makers and content producers drinking from the same Mountain Dew fountain of post-commercialized early internet voyeurisms such as MTV Cribs.</p>

Another film, <em><a href="https://pilvitakala.com/players" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Players</a></em> by Finnish artist Pilvi Takala, although tonally in stark contrast, chips away at the reality of platformed living. It documents six young professional online poker players who are coliving in Bangkok to maintain the ideal time window for competition against their most lucrative market—late-night and likely intoxicated American gamblers.

<p>Another film, <em><a href="https://pilvitakala.com/players" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Players</a></em> by Finnish artist Pilvi Takala, although tonally in stark contrast, chips away at the reality of platformed living. It documents six young professional online poker players who are coliving in Bangkok to maintain the ideal time window for competition against their most lucrative market—late-night and likely intoxicated American gamblers.</p>

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<h3 class="wp-block-heading">DISMANTLING AND REORDERING</h3>


The reformulation of the domestic in the wake of new media technologies is nothing new. Japanese architect Toyo Ito details a similar phenomenon in 1988 in <em>Dismantling and Reordering the House in a Disorded City</em> from his collection of essays <em>Tarzans in the Media Forest</em>:

<p>The reformulation of the domestic in the wake of new media technologies is nothing new. Japanese architect Toyo Ito details a similar phenomenon in 1988 in <em>Dismantling and Reordering the House in a Disorded City</em> from his collection of essays <em>Tarzans in the Media Forest</em>:</p>

“The kind of spaces desired in houses, everything—a cozy living room with a low sofa facing toward audio-visual equipment, a dining room with a large table, around which meals can be enjoyed, a kitchen containing splendid modular fittings—are no longer places that play a part in the simplicity and vitality of family life. Like stage-set for television dramas they are no more than highly fictional spaces prepared for our aspirations toward family life.”

<p>“The kind of spaces desired in houses, everything—a cozy living room with a low sofa facing toward audio-visual equipment, a dining room with a large table, around which meals can be enjoyed, a kitchen containing splendid modular fittings—are no longer places that play a part in the simplicity and vitality of family life. Like stage-set for television dramas they are no more than highly fictional spaces prepared for our aspirations toward family life.”</p>

He goes on to observe that a new generation of young, newly financially independent women had reconstituted the expectations of Tokyo apartments by living maximal urban lives while forgoing furniture and maintaining only a minimal domestic footprint. Noting how this effect was becoming more universal, he follows on: “We are compelled to go back and forth between temporary, fictional urban spaces and fictional urban spaces, wherein functions become the remnants of flows of images.”

<p>He goes on to observe that a new generation of young, newly financially independent women had reconstituted the expectations of Tokyo apartments by living maximal urban lives while forgoing furniture and maintaining only a minimal domestic footprint. Noting how this effect was becoming more universal, he follows on: “We are compelled to go back and forth between temporary, fictional urban spaces and fictional urban spaces, wherein functions become the remnants of flows of images.”</p>

Ito was also a proponent of mediatheques and liquid archives, the architectural response to the shifting sands of networked culture towards the end of the millennium. Not unreasonably, the 90’s saw a glut of architectural propositions, exhibitions and realised projects that responded to the internet as a condition that could be examined, perhaps even contained through civic and public space, usually through the reconfiguration of libraries, museums and cultural zoning. While the visual and theoretical language of that era has aged with mixed results, the central intuition of how sizable the impact of networked media would be on the social consciousness was broadly accurate. The most glaring overestimation of many architects of that time was perhaps simply that we might even leave the house.

<p>Ito was also a proponent of mediatheques and liquid archives, the architectural response to the shifting sands of networked culture towards the end of the millennium. Not unreasonably, the 90’s saw a glut of architectural propositions, exhibitions and realised projects that responded to the internet as a condition that could be examined, perhaps even contained through civic and public space, usually through the reconfiguration of libraries, museums and cultural zoning. While the visual and theoretical language of that era has aged with mixed results, the central intuition of how sizable the impact of networked media would be on the social consciousness was broadly accurate. The most glaring overestimation of many architects of that time was perhaps simply that we might even leave the house.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">ESCAPING LOCAL MAXIMA</h3>


Alison Gopnik, Berkley Professor of Psychology and leading voice in cognitive development, has put forward the idea that the human’s extended childhood gives humanity extra space to explore and exit cultural “local maxima.” That is a good, but not a great, social pattern. The plasticity of the young mind gives humans an evolutionary advantage as we adjust the balance between “exploring” and “exploiting” the contents of our environment.

<p>Alison Gopnik, Berkley Professor of Psychology and leading voice in cognitive development, has put forward the idea that the human’s extended childhood gives humanity extra space to explore and exit cultural “local maxima.” That is a good, but not a great, social pattern. The plasticity of the young mind gives humans an evolutionary advantage as we adjust the balance between “exploring” and “exploiting” the contents of our environment.</p>

Teenagers as a group have few advocates when it comes to urban life. After all, how many buildings—let alone homes—are designed with teenagers specifically in mind? However, the teenager is perhaps the default user of the internet. The relationship between the lives of teenagers being shaped by, and in turn shaping, the structural forms of platforms built on newly available technology is complex and symbiotic, but online culture is largely driven by teenagers and young adults. From this perspective, as this culture comes to occupy more of the physical domestic space and platformed home-working slouches towards ubiquity, the content house may not be a temporary cultural moment but a genuine experimentation with the purpose of domestic space.

<p>Teenagers as a group have few advocates when it comes to urban life. After all, how many buildings—let alone homes—are designed with teenagers specifically in mind? However, the teenager is perhaps the default user of the internet. The relationship between the lives of teenagers being shaped by, and in turn shaping, the structural forms of platforms built on newly available technology is complex and symbiotic, but online culture is largely driven by teenagers and young adults. From this perspective, as this culture comes to occupy more of the physical domestic space and platformed home-working slouches towards ubiquity, the content house may not be a temporary cultural moment but a genuine experimentation with the purpose of domestic space.</p>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">PLATFORM AS HABITAT</h3>


So what does TikTok mean for domestic spaces, architecture, or even the city?

<p>So what does TikTok mean for domestic spaces, architecture, or even the city?</p>

A simple reading is that it’s the extension of the trend of teenagers, hyper-literate in both the functionality and cultural context of platforms, to renegotiate their boundaries while reaping the benefits of wild permanent connectivity. If society depends on the younger members to experiment on behalf of everyone else, this is what it looks like today.

<p>A simple reading is that it’s the extension of the trend of teenagers, hyper-literate in both the functionality and cultural context of platforms, to renegotiate their boundaries while reaping the benefits of wild permanent connectivity. If society depends on the younger members to experiment on behalf of everyone else, this is what it looks like today.</p>

It’s in the DNA of design theory to seek out the “architecture” of such phenomena, but from a material point of view there isn’t all that much to cling to. The reality is that architecture for the purpose of the content house is conceptually interchangeable with real estate. Indeed even the relationship between these spaces and the cities they occupy is indirect—most content houses appear to film relatively little in the external world. It might be brand maintenance, but since the trend has existed almost entirely during—and perhaps as a result of—the pandemic, who knows. They exist in an uncomfortable sofa crevice between a notionally “real” city and a GTA5 live stream. The figure of the city is primarily as a flavor of lifestyle and narrative framing, with the majority setting up shop in Los Angeles, the archetypal lifestyle capital.

<p>It’s in the DNA of design theory to seek out the “architecture” of such phenomena, but from a material point of view there isn’t all that much to cling to. The reality is that architecture for the purpose of the content house is conceptually interchangeable with real estate. Indeed even the relationship between these spaces and the cities they occupy is indirect—most content houses appear to film relatively little in the external world. It might be brand maintenance, but since the trend has existed almost entirely during—and perhaps as a result of—the pandemic, who knows. They exist in an uncomfortable sofa crevice between a notionally “real” city and a GTA5 live stream. The figure of the city is primarily as a flavor of lifestyle and narrative framing, with the majority setting up shop in Los Angeles, the archetypal lifestyle capital.</p>

Much has been written about the complex history between the urbanity of Los Angeles and the history of other forms of media, most obviously radio and cinema. That social media and such a digitally dislocated trend might retain a natural geographic center of gravity (at least in America) are both curious and then obvious, given the ambitions of many of TikTok’s elite. Relocation to Los Angeles follows the same playbook as moving in together, and usually comes first.

<p>Much has been written about the complex history between the urbanity of Los Angeles and the history of other forms of media, most obviously radio and cinema. That social media and such a digitally dislocated trend might retain a natural geographic center of gravity (at least in America) are both curious and then obvious, given the ambitions of many of TikTok’s elite. Relocation to Los Angeles follows the same playbook as moving in together, and usually comes first.</p>

It brings to mind the 2003 video essay <em>Los Angeles Plays Itself</em> by Thom Andersen. Andersen’s film attempts to revitalize a view of the city of Los Angeles and its unique architectural history as character within “the movies” by differentiating it from the abbreviated identity of LA—a construct swimming in its own industrially fabricated cinematic imagery. The content house is perhaps the logical extension of the latter, now appearing as a sun-drenched lifestyle pantomime stretched across a landscape of anonymous, disconnected mansions.

<p>It brings to mind the 2003 video essay <em>Los Angeles Plays Itself</em> by Thom Andersen. Andersen’s film attempts to revitalize a view of the city of Los Angeles and its unique architectural history as character within “the movies” by differentiating it from the abbreviated identity of LA—a construct swimming in its own industrially fabricated cinematic imagery. The content house is perhaps the logical extension of the latter, now appearing as a sun-drenched lifestyle pantomime stretched across a landscape of anonymous, disconnected mansions.</p>

For many, architecture itself has slipped into a vernacular propaganda of people cut-outs and V-Ray. Perhaps the content house is simply the realization of the fully dematerialized way of life that this visual form often accidentally proposes.

<p>For many, architecture itself has slipped into a vernacular propaganda of people cut-outs and V-Ray. Perhaps the content house is simply the realization of the fully dematerialized way of life that this visual form often accidentally proposes.</p>

It might be more instructive then to consider what TikTok means for those living in these spaces. While by no means universally the case, for many WiFi is now genuinely the most important domestic amenity and there’s barely any architectural precedent that prepares us for that. Not least because it can provide potential and instant access to a hungry audience, numbering in the millions. In the long run, the relationship between privacy and domestic space may turn out to be little more than a default setting.

<p>It might be more instructive then to consider what TikTok means for those living in these spaces. While by no means universally the case, for many WiFi is now genuinely the most important domestic amenity and there’s barely any architectural precedent that prepares us for that. Not least because it can provide potential and instant access to a hungry audience, numbering in the millions. In the long run, the relationship between privacy and domestic space may turn out to be little more than a default setting.</p>

From another angle, TikTok through the content house is also a radical social proposal. Take the “Hype House” at face value, for example, and you see 21 young people deciding to cohabit, supporting themselves almost entirely by making videos no longer than sixty seconds. From the point of view of the architectural program, it’s as magnificently brazen as it is contemporary. That the Hype House is not an outlier, but a trendsetter, outlines how many budding TikTok stars (or indeed just teenagers) might embrace the model of platform as habitat, if given the chance.

<p>From another angle, TikTok through the content house is also a radical social proposal. Take the “Hype House” at face value, for example, and you see 21 young people deciding to cohabit, supporting themselves almost entirely by making videos no longer than sixty seconds. From the point of view of the architectural program, it’s as magnificently brazen as it is contemporary. That the Hype House is not an outlier, but a trendsetter, outlines how many budding TikTok stars (or indeed just teenagers) might embrace the model of platform as habitat, if given the chance.</p>

This essay was originally written for <strong>Strelka Magazine.</strong> View the original here:

<p>This essay was originally written for <strong>Strelka Magazine.</strong> View the original here:</p>

Christopher Burman on TikTok and the transformations it brings to architecture and domesticity.

The Content House: The New Cottage Industry of Platform Inhabitation

<div class="vlp-link-container vlp-layout-basic wp-block-visual-link-preview-link"><a href="https://strelkamag.com/en/article/content-house" class="vlp-link" title="The Content House: The New Cottage Industry of Platform Inhabitation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><div class="vlp-layout-zone-side"><div class="vlp-block-2 vlp-link-image"><img src="https://storage.strelka.com/i/babdb84b-4fc6-4fed-a3ae-8058fb543935/w/1200" style="max-width: 150px; max-height: 150px" /></div></div><div class="vlp-layout-zone-main"><div class="vlp-block-0 vlp-link-title">The Content House: The New Cottage Industry of Platform Inhabitation</div><div class="vlp-block-1 vlp-link-summary">Christopher Burman on TikTok and the transformations it brings to architecture and domesticity.</div></div></div>

visual-link-preview/link

<div class="wp-block-visual-link-preview-link"><img class="vlp-image" src="https://storage.strelka.com/i/babdb84b-4fc6-4fed-a3ae-8058fb543935/w/1200"/><h3>The Content House: The New Cottage Industry of Platform Inhabitation</h3><div class="summary">Christopher Burman on TikTok and the transformations it brings to architecture and domesticity.</div></div>

0007 – Business As Usual

0005 – Model Behaviour

0002 – The Content House

A trivial prediction about the future: <em>THE FINALS</em> – a forthcoming video game – is going to be a smash hit.

<p>A trivial prediction about the future: <em>THE FINALS</em> – a forthcoming video game – is going to be a smash hit.</p>

There are two aspects that already stand-out. Firstly the setting: it's a multiplayer computer game that takes place in a future multi-media 'TV show', in which contestants compete within a holographic simulation . This self-referential tangle of simulacra is curious enough but that's just set-up for the main pitch - an attempt to realise a long-help game developer dream: the fully destructible environment.

<p>There are two aspects that already stand-out. Firstly the setting: it's a multiplayer computer game that takes place in a future multi-media 'TV show', in which contestants compete within a holographic simulation . This self-referential tangle of simulacra is curious enough but that's just set-up for the main pitch - an attempt to realise a long-help game developer dream: the fully destructible environment.</p>

Some definitional house-keeping. The '<em>Fully Destructible Environment</em>' refers to the long-held ambition in video game development to realise levels that can be dynamically destroyed, materially reconfigured and potentially rebuilt, in real-time by players. The key principle is that this should be achieved through physics simulation – as opposed to pre-baked animation –&nbsp;to give players a sense of boundless agency. As Rob Runesson from the studio developing The Finals states:

<p>Some definitional house-keeping. The '<em>Fully Destructible Environment</em>' refers to the long-held ambition in video game development to realise levels that can be dynamically destroyed, materially reconfigured and potentially rebuilt, in real-time by players. The key principle is that this should be achieved through physics simulation – as opposed to pre-baked animation –&nbsp;to give players a sense of boundless agency. As Rob Runesson from the studio developing The Finals states:</p>

<p>“Many of us at Embark have been building first-person shooters for more than two decades, but just when we thought we were finished with the genre, we unlocked a developer’s <em>Holy Grail</em>”</p>

core/quote

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p>“Many of us at Embark have been building first-person shooters for more than two decades, but just when we thought we were finished with the genre, we unlocked a developer’s <em>Holy Grail</em>”</p><cite>Rob Runesson, executive producer of The Finals (via <a href="https://venturebeat.com/games/embark-studios-unveils-the-finals-team-based-shooter-game/">venturebeat.com</a>)</cite></blockquote>

The conceit of a video game in which the entire environment might be destroyed by its players has been dangling like a wrecking-ball over the industry from its earliest days, which developers desperately keen to open ways for players to discover their own novel spatial strategies beyond the normally hard limits of the game space.

<p class="wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">The conceit of a video game in which the entire environment might be destroyed by its players has been dangling like a wrecking-ball over the industry from its earliest days, which developers desperately keen to open ways for players to discover their own novel spatial strategies beyond the normally hard limits of the game space. </p>

Providing real-time multiplayer consistency for dynamic destruction is a serious technical and financial challenge and in the case of THE FINALS, the output of a 200 strong dev-team with some serious industry experience, before even considering the requirements for network bandwidth and server infrastructure with enormous graphical and computation power,, alongside some fiendishly good engine code for in-game physics simulations and animations under-the-hood. Embark Studios, the developers behind "The Finals," was founded by five former employees of DICE, the creators of "Mirror's Edge" - a noteworthy backstory given how the game pushed the boundaries of proprioceptive stimulation in gaming during a time when virtual reality was not yet mainstream.

<p class="wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">Providing real-time multiplayer consistency for dynamic destruction is a serious technical and financial challenge and in the case of THE FINALS, the output of a 200 strong dev-team with some serious industry experience, before even considering the requirements for network bandwidth and server infrastructure with enormous graphical and computation power,, alongside some fiendishly good engine code for in-game physics simulations and animations under-the-hood. Embark Studios, the developers behind "The Finals," was founded by five former employees of DICE, the creators of "Mirror's Edge" - a noteworthy backstory given how the game pushed the boundaries of proprioceptive stimulation in gaming during a time when virtual reality was not yet mainstream.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em>“The World Is Your Weapon (And Enemy)<strong>&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;- A skilled contender might go in guns blazing, but with environmental destruction in your arsenal, that’s just the start of what you can wield against your foes!</em></p><p></p><cite>Marketing quote from THE FINALS Steam page</cite></blockquote></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>So many previous games have used such destructive potential as marketing plot without fully producing the goods, that gamers are inherently suspicious - previous attempts include, "Red Faction" (2001), which introduced "Geo-Mod" technology for real-time environmental destruction, "Battlefield: Bad Company" (2008), which popularised the concept of "<em>levolution</em>," where large-scale destruction could dynamically change a map, and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXgS91-Mj8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Just Cause</a>" series, which has consistently pushed the limits of open-world destruction.<br><br></p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><em>“The World Is Your Weapon (And Enemy)<strong>&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;- A skilled contender might go in guns blazing, but with environmental destruction in your arsenal, that’s just the start of what you can wield against your foes!</em></p><p></p><cite>Marketing quote from THE FINALS Steam page</cite></blockquote></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>So many previous games have used such destructive potential as marketing plot without fully producing the goods, that gamers are inherently suspicious - previous attempts include, "Red Faction" (2001), which introduced "Geo-Mod" technology for real-time environmental destruction, "Battlefield: Bad Company" (2008), which popularised the concept of "<em>levolution</em>," where large-scale destruction could dynamically change a map, and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXgS91-Mj8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Just Cause</a>" series, which has consistently pushed the limits of open-world destruction.<br><br></p></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tear It Down And Start Again</h4>


The best-selling indie game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167630/Teardown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tear Down</a> could make a serious claim for having got their first, albeit with an entirely different approach. To the casual observer, the game might be appear initially as a higher resolution version of Minecraft but in reality is the result of developer Dennis Gustafsson's continuous pursuit of real-time simulation. The neat solution to the escalating computational complexity in destructible environments, was to express the game world as voxels or three-dimensional pixels, allowing for wildly interactive environments that not only run in real time on most hardware but also allowed for a thriving modding community to create custom levels and scenarios, massively widening the game's destructive and constructive potential.

<p>The best-selling indie game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167630/Teardown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tear Down</a> could make a serious claim for having got their first, albeit with an entirely different approach. To the casual observer, the game might be appear initially as a higher resolution version of Minecraft but in reality is the result of developer Dennis Gustafsson's continuous pursuit of real-time simulation. The neat solution to the escalating computational complexity in destructible environments, was to express the game world as voxels or three-dimensional pixels, allowing for wildly interactive environments that not only run in real time on most hardware but also allowed for a thriving modding community to create custom levels and scenarios, massively widening the game's destructive and constructive potential.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>For those following the development of Tear Down in the years up until it's official release, it sometimes appeared more akin to a game engine in search of a game - by no means a criticism, but more an indication of what the perceived potential of unlimited physical sandboxes might be. The result is that the game feels both highly responsive and 'physical' but that provides ASMR-like sensory satisfaction, as sticky chunks clump and wispy plumes of voxels evaporate. The introduction of real-time ray-traced lighting into the otherwise pixellated world gives the environment a strange uncanniness, as if experiencing hyper reality in low resolution. Tear Down is soon likely to reach a far wider audience due to the acquisition of its developer 'Tuxedo Labs' by Swedish media conglomerate The Embracer Group and forthcoming releases on major console platforms. </p></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:25%"><figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tear-down.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3519"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Teardown (Ray-tracing On)</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><p>For those following the development of Tear Down in the years up until it's official release, it sometimes appeared more akin to a game engine in search of a game - by no means a criticism, but more an indication of what the perceived potential of unlimited physical sandboxes might be. The result is that the game feels both highly responsive and 'physical' but that provides ASMR-like sensory satisfaction, as sticky chunks clump and wispy plumes of voxels evaporate. The introduction of real-time ray-traced lighting into the otherwise pixellated world gives the environment a strange uncanniness, as if experiencing hyper reality in low resolution. Tear Down is soon likely to reach a far wider audience due to the acquisition of its developer 'Tuxedo Labs' by Swedish media conglomerate The Embracer Group and forthcoming releases on major console platforms. </p></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:25%"><figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tear-down.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3519"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Teardown (Ray-tracing On)</figcaption></figure></div></div>

Part of it's initial success has been the growth of a community of modders, since Tear Down presents it's sandbox as a core component of the game, becoming in turn perhaps the most accessible realistic physical engine for other purposes. While the use of video game engines as home brew simulation environments has a long folk and research history, including both CryEngine, the GTA5 sandbox or the Quake 3 engine as primary tools, Tear Down is an increasingly popular choice for young content makers experimentally simulating explosions, battles and nuclear attacks.

<p>Part of it's initial success has been the growth of a community of modders, since Tear Down presents it's sandbox as a core component of the game, becoming in turn perhaps the most accessible realistic physical engine for other purposes. While the use of video game engines as home brew simulation environments has a long folk and research history, including both CryEngine, the GTA5 sandbox or the Quake 3 engine as primary tools, Tear Down is an increasingly popular choice for young content makers experimentally simulating explosions, battles and nuclear attacks.</p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYeVlTNaDU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Teardown Realistic WTC Simulation" by KA Videos</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>By far the most popular sub-genre however is recreations of 9/11. Although such attempts might at first seem flippant or desensitised click-chasing online content, they might also be read as the method of historical engagement. Since possessing a memory of the attacks (most often as a media event for those not geographically affected) now demarcates a line between generations, the simulation of the events might represent a form of processing.</p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAYeVlTNaDU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Teardown Realistic WTC Simulation" by KA Videos</figcaption></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>By far the most popular sub-genre however is recreations of 9/11. Although such attempts might at first seem flippant or desensitised click-chasing online content, they might also be read as the method of historical engagement. Since possessing a memory of the attacks (most often as a media event for those not geographically affected) now demarcates a line between generations, the simulation of the events might represent a form of processing.</p></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reality Check</h4>


The utilisation of this in-game power should come as now surprise. The invention of any simulation seems to demand that it be run to logical disintegration. If we are not attacking each other (player vs player, aka PVP) then the next target will be the game environment itself (player vs environment aka PVE).

<p>The utilisation of this in-game power should come as now surprise. The invention of any simulation seems to demand that it be run to logical disintegration. If we are not attacking each other (player vs player, aka PVP) then the next target will be the game environment itself (player vs environment aka PVE).</p>

Perhaps it goes without saying however that there is deep futility in writing about destruction with respect to digital media at a moment when both ecological degradation is full flow and the reality of human conflict is nearly ever present not just in everyday streams of information but as a lived reality for many around the world.

<p>Perhaps it goes without saying however that there is deep futility in writing about destruction with respect to digital media at a moment when both ecological degradation is full flow and the reality of human conflict is nearly ever present not just in everyday streams of information but as a lived reality for many around the world.</p>

Given the age of ecological destruction and real-world conflict in which we live, what does it mean that developers are finally realising this cherished goal now, and why was it such a long-standing goal? Living in an era when such simulations are such an important component of work, leisure, policy and everything in between may also however give us pause to reflect on a few things what it means to push them to their limits.

<p>Given the age of ecological destruction and real-world conflict in which we live, what does it mean that developers are finally realising this cherished goal now, and why was it such a long-standing goal? Living in an era when such simulations are such an important component of work, leisure, policy and everything in between may also however give us pause to reflect on a few things what it means to push them to their limits. </p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKL-_RtU5Y
</div></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>Simulation and strategic gaming has always been interlinked with military research and actions, from the the earliest days of flight simulation, the advent of military war-gaming in the 18th century or the contemporary drone pilot, as extensively explored but the late and highly influential artist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERIscWmpSo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harun Farocki.</a></p><p><br>Not only should we keep the realities of such violence in the forefront of our minds, but we need to be especially careful to avoid demeaning it by confusing the media presentation with the underlying reality, however much the medium is massaged. </p></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcKL-_RtU5Y
</div></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33%"><p>Simulation and strategic gaming has always been interlinked with military research and actions, from the the earliest days of flight simulation, the advent of military war-gaming in the 18th century or the contemporary drone pilot, as extensively explored but the late and highly influential artist <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERIscWmpSo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harun Farocki.</a></p><p><br>Not only should we keep the realities of such violence in the forefront of our minds, but we need to be especially careful to avoid demeaning it by confusing the media presentation with the underlying reality, however much the medium is massaged. </p></div></div>

Games are of course by no means the only use of physical simulations and some of the most visceral intersections of technology are by those extending the boundaries of where simulation can be applied. For instance of the output of Forensic Architecture, most recently in collaboration with Kiev-based <a href="https://spatialtech.info">The Centre of Spatial Technology</a> analysing the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Their recent work documenting the <a href="https://investigations.support/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mariupol Theatre</a> is profound, unsettling and deeply moving, demonstrating why the toolset of digital simulation tools and 'forensic' methodologies provide such a unique vantage point on such tragic events.

<p>Games are of course by no means the only use of physical simulations and some of the most visceral intersections of technology are by those extending the boundaries of where simulation can be applied. For instance of the output of Forensic Architecture, most recently in collaboration with Kiev-based <a href="https://spatialtech.info">The Centre of Spatial Technology</a> analysing the Russian attacks on Ukraine. Their recent work documenting the <a href="https://investigations.support/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mariupol Theatre</a> is profound, unsettling and deeply moving, demonstrating why the toolset of digital simulation tools and 'forensic' methodologies provide such a unique vantage point on such tragic events.</p>

Simulations are never neutral, nor can they be untangled from the real world political context in which they take place. On the contrary the more we investigate the simulation as a perhaps the default medium of our contemporary era we may come to understand how much they reveal about the human social psyche.

<p>Simulations are never neutral, nor can they be untangled from the real world political context in which they take place. On the contrary the more we investigate the simulation as a perhaps the default medium of our contemporary era we may come to understand how much they reveal about the human social psyche.</p>

<br>As such it might be more important than to focus on the condition of the simulation rather than meaning of its 'destruction'. Destruction is such a prevalent motif within the histories of theatre, cinema or art, especially since the 20th Century that we can bump into seemingly pertinent references almost by accident. Some that spring immediately to mind: Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", Gordon-Matta Clarks <em>Conical Intersect</em>, Betye Saar's <em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail</em>, Gustav Metzger's auto-destruction, Basinki's <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVyl9CxHpM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disintegration Loops </a></em>(itself a response to September 11th). All of these artworks represent a highly charged and expressive relationship to 'destruction' as a response to an overbearing, unjust and chaotic world.

<p><br>As such it might be more important than to focus on the condition of the simulation rather than meaning of its 'destruction'. Destruction is such a prevalent motif within the histories of theatre, cinema or art, especially since the 20th Century that we can bump into seemingly pertinent references almost by accident. Some that spring immediately to mind: Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", Gordon-Matta Clarks <em>Conical Intersect</em>, Betye Saar's <em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail</em>, Gustav Metzger's auto-destruction, Basinki's <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVyl9CxHpM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Disintegration Loops </a></em>(itself a response to September 11th). All of these artworks represent a highly charged and expressive relationship to 'destruction' as a response to an overbearing, unjust and chaotic world. </p>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/file-20171109-13344-1fnpe6x.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3631"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", (1997)</figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2017.17_front_PS11-715x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3626"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/222983#:~:text=In%20Liberation%20of%20Aunt%20Jemima,a%20composition%20with%20spiritual%20overtones." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betye Saar,&nbsp;<em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail&nbsp;</em>(1973)</a></figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-columns alignwide"><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/file-20171109-13344-1fnpe6x.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3631"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pipilotti Rist "<em>Ever is Over All</em>", (1997)</figcaption></figure></div><div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:50%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2017.17_front_PS11-715x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3626"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/222983#:~:text=In%20Liberation%20of%20Aunt%20Jemima,a%20composition%20with%20spiritual%20overtones." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betye Saar,&nbsp;<em>Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Cocktail&nbsp;</em>(1973)</a></figcaption></figure></div></div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Reticulating Splines</h4>


From the earliest days of Asteroids (1979), Dig Dug and (1982) through to the ultimate cash extractive simulating behemoth Minecraft (2011) –  238 million sales and counting –  a large percentage of videos games rely on some sort of environmental reconfiguration, if not outright terraforming as a core mechanic. Both conceptually and narratively, environmental destruction and its consequences appear almost baked into video games as a medium.

<p>From the earliest days of Asteroids (1979), Dig Dug and (1982) through to the ultimate cash extractive simulating behemoth Minecraft (2011) –  238 million sales and counting –  a large percentage of videos games rely on some sort of environmental reconfiguration, if not outright terraforming as a core mechanic. Both conceptually and narratively, environmental destruction and its consequences appear almost baked into video games as a medium.</p>

Which might not be such a surprise given the entire development of the industry and the simulation technologies it has pioneered, have emerged in parallel with the growing scientific understanding – and political consciousness – of the ecological impacts of humanity.

<p>Which might not be such a surprise given the entire development of the industry and the simulation technologies it has pioneered, have emerged in parallel with the growing scientific understanding – and political consciousness – of the ecological impacts of humanity.</p>

1972, arguably the breakthrough year of the modern game industry saw the release of the major first hit – "<em>Pong</em>" alongside what is now regarded as the first home console system "<em>Odyssey</em>". The latter was unveiled by it's creators <em>Magnavox</em> in May 1972, just weeks before the first <em>United Nations Conference on the Human Environment</em> – the first international summit focused on environmental policy – in Stockholm, Sweden.

<p>1972, arguably the breakthrough year of the modern game industry saw the release of the major first hit – "<em>Pong</em>" alongside what is now regarded as the first home console system "<em>Odyssey</em>". The latter was unveiled by it's creators <em>Magnavox</em> in May 1972, just weeks before the first <em>United Nations Conference on the Human Environment</em> – the first international summit focused on environmental policy – in Stockholm, Sweden.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/matta-clark.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3520"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Conical Intersect</em> (1975), Gordon Matta Clark</figcaption></figure>


<br>Between October 9th - 15th 1985, the succinctly titled<em> "International Conference of the Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts</em>" convened in Villach, Austria - concluding with a decision to establish the "<em>Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases</em>" (AGGG) – later reorganised as the IPCC. Three days later, on October 18th, Super Mario Bros was released in North America, kick-starting a revolution in home video games.

<p><br>Between October 9th - 15th 1985, the succinctly titled<em> "International Conference of the Assessment of the Role of Carbon Dioxide and of Other Greenhouse Gases in Climate Variations and Associated Impacts</em>" convened in Villach, Austria - concluding with a decision to establish the "<em>Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases</em>" (AGGG) – later reorganised as the IPCC. Three days later, on October 18th, Super Mario Bros was released in North America, kick-starting a revolution in home video games.</p>

On 5th May, 1992,  the hugely popular first-person shooter <em>Wolfenstein 3D</em> was released, the start of the new era of 3D game engines, spearheaded by its developer, Id software. Just four days later on 9th May, the draft text for The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<a href="http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC</a>) was finalised in New York, before being ratified later that year at the Rio 'Earth Summit'.

<p>On 5th May, 1992,  the hugely popular first-person shooter <em>Wolfenstein 3D</em> was released, the start of the new era of 3D game engines, spearheaded by its developer, Id software. Just four days later on 9th May, the draft text for The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<a href="http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC</a>) was finalised in New York, before being ratified later that year at the Rio 'Earth Summit'.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-how-do-climate-models-work/"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fig-1-4.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3547"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Via Carbon Brief: Increasing spatial resolution of climate models used through the first four IPCC assessment reports: first (“FAR”) published in 1990, second (“SAR”) in 1995, third (“TAR”) in 2001 and fourth (“AR4”) in 2007. (Note, there is also a fifth report, which was completed in 2014). Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/figure-1-4.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPCC AR4, Fig 1.2</a></figcaption></figure>


Fast forward to 1997 and the wildly popular "Final Fantasy VII", in which the player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, who alongside an eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, fights against a corporation named Shinra, who are draining the planet's life energy for profit. Also released - The Kyoto Protocol.

<p>Fast forward to 1997 and the wildly popular "Final Fantasy VII", in which the player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, who alongside an eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, fights against a corporation named Shinra, who are draining the planet's life energy for profit. Also released - The Kyoto Protocol.</p>

In 2016, sandwiched between the draft and the legal adoption of The Paris Climate Agreement, Niantic released the global phenomenon Pokémon Go, a watershed in mobile and augmented reality gaming.

<p>In 2016, sandwiched between the draft and the legal adoption of The Paris Climate Agreement, Niantic released the global phenomenon Pokémon Go, a watershed in mobile and augmented reality gaming.</p>

While these dates are cherry-picked as curious coincidences – in a 50 year window, the importance of climate science and environmental policy have expanded as seismically as market for computer games – all in their own ways downstream of an explosion in computation and network bandwidth.

<p>While these dates are cherry-picked as curious coincidences – in a 50 year window, the importance of climate science and environmental policy have expanded as seismically as market for computer games – all in their own ways downstream of an explosion in computation and network bandwidth.</p>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Gaming The System</h4>


There is also a long history of games as direct expressions of the environmental movement, such as the 1970's board games <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3709/smog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smog</a>, encouraging players to grow a city without polluting the air or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7458/ecology-game-man-nature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology: The Game of Man and Nature</a>.  Among dozens of more recent examples are <a href="https://beyondbluegame.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Blue</a> (an ocean exploration simulator) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW7MdbiGzo4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fort McMonye</a> (2013) A 'film meets game' documentary by <a href="http://www.davduf.net/-fort-mcmoney-?lang=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@davduf"> Dufresne</a> investigating the Canada's oil sands petroleum industry.  As a sub-genre though it can feels too worthy – see the European Commission funded: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfx3IcM8Pyw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EnerCities (2011)</a> – and potentially even just too <em>boring</em> to provide anything like mainstream 'gamer' appeal.

<p>There is also a long history of games as direct expressions of the environmental movement, such as the 1970's board games <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3709/smog" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smog</a>, encouraging players to grow a city without polluting the air or <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7458/ecology-game-man-nature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology: The Game of Man and Nature</a>.  Among dozens of more recent examples are <a href="https://beyondbluegame.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Blue</a> (an ocean exploration simulator) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW7MdbiGzo4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fort McMonye</a> (2013) A 'film meets game' documentary by <a href="http://www.davduf.net/-fort-mcmoney-?lang=fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@davduf"> Dufresne</a> investigating the Canada's oil sands petroleum industry.  As a sub-genre though it can feels too worthy – see the European Commission funded: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfx3IcM8Pyw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EnerCities (2011)</a> – and potentially even just too <em>boring</em> to provide anything like mainstream 'gamer' appeal. </p>


<figure class="wp-block-image alignwide size-full"><img src="https://writing-api.burman.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/terra-nil-announcement-trailer.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3542"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Screenshot for the recently released Terra Nil in which players transform barren land into thriving, non-human ecosystems.</figcaption></figure>


One of the few attempts to cut through is the recently released Terra-Nil from Cape Town based developers Free Lives (more on this in a forthcoming review). Terra Nil relies on the satisfaction generated from the restoration of equilibrium to an an otherwise ravaged ecosystem, through controlled fires, mangrove restoration and geo-engineering. It manages to satiate both a desire for fun and mindful reflection, although perhaps at the cost of underselling the difficulties of IRL ecosystem recovery.

<p>One of the few attempts to cut through is the recently released Terra-Nil from Cape Town based developers Free Lives (more on this in a forthcoming review). Terra Nil relies on the satisfaction generated from the restoration of equilibrium to an an otherwise ravaged ecosystem, through controlled fires, mangrove restoration and geo-engineering. It manages to satiate both a desire for fun and mindful reflection, although perhaps at the cost of underselling the difficulties of IRL ecosystem recovery.</p>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Object Impermanence</h4>


Why such simulations are so compelling is complex question, but it may be that on a simple level pattern formation and recognition are so central to the nature of human cognition that we might understand such destructive tendencies as representing neural light relief. Are we gaining some great release by freeing our prefrontal cortex from the intense strain of decision-making and impulse control, or IRL moral and ethical constraints? Perhaps we in fact inhabiting a state of blissful Buddhist impermanence.

<p>Why such simulations are so compelling is complex question, but it may be that on a simple level pattern formation and recognition are so central to the nature of human cognition that we might understand such destructive tendencies as representing neural light relief. Are we gaining some great release by freeing our prefrontal cortex from the intense strain of decision-making and impulse control, or IRL moral and ethical constraints? Perhaps we in fact inhabiting a state of blissful Buddhist impermanence.</p>

Maybe this is a self-evident aspect of play, but the act of tearing up the game space, may liberate us from the constraints of order, conformity, and societal expectations. Perhaps there's a part of us, buried deep within our psyche, that craves a taste of this unbridled freedom - a fleeting moment of rebellion in the face of a world that often demands so much of us – the child knocking down a tower of bricks ad absurdum.

<p>Maybe this is a self-evident aspect of play, but the act of tearing up the game space, may liberate us from the constraints of order, conformity, and societal expectations. Perhaps there's a part of us, buried deep within our psyche, that craves a taste of this unbridled freedom - a fleeting moment of rebellion in the face of a world that often demands so much of us – the child knocking down a tower of bricks ad absurdum.</p>

0002

The Content House

COTTAGE INDUSTRY

IN EVERY CONTENT HOUSE A HEARTACHE

THE DRAMATIC RISE OF TIKTOK

TEENAGE STREAMS

DISMANTLING AND REORDERING

ESCAPING LOCAL MAXIMA

PLATFORM AS HABITAT

The Content House: The New Cottage Industry of Platform Inhabitation

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0005

Model Behaviour

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